


Pierre

by ValiantNoMore



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 01:18:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15207656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValiantNoMore/pseuds/ValiantNoMore
Summary: You call me up and ask me how I've been. I'll call your bluff and keep on telling you lies.Rogue leaves because it's what's right for her, and Logan finally seems to realize what he's been missing.





	Pierre

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I've been writing to reboot my brain while working on All That's Left, I hope you enjoy it so far!

Rogue left. She had held on to a foolish hope for so long that when she was finally faced with the truth of her situation she felt lost. All those years ago Logan had offered her something she didn’t have, safety, and now she realized that’s all their friendship would ever be, safe. So she left. 

It wasn’t as if she ran off in the middle of the night; she didn’t even hide her plans from him, rather he was the first person she told. They had been sitting in the kitchen at the manor at what must have been the early hours of the morning, to be honest she hadn’t bothered to check when they got in from their mission, and as the last members of the team trickled out of the room back to their own rooms she had looked up from the beer she had so conspicuously been studying as she avoided meeting the gaze she knew was trained evenly on her. 

“I need to get out.”

That’s all she had said but somehow it was enough for him to offer her a grunt of understanding, not pushing her to say anymore as he weighed the meaning in her words before gesturing idly toward her head and stating, “I reckon he’s getting restless.”

Marie’s lips had drawn into a thin line as she hummed something that was somehow neither confirmation or denial of his assumption that this was somehow a result of _her_ Logan’s wishes. He was half right after all, it was because of him. Logan would only ever see her as that kid he met in Laughlin City; it was time that kid got out.

It didn’t take long for her to get her things together, explaining to Ororo that she was sorry to leave the team behind, but she needed this. And soon enough, she found herself standing at the base of those same stairs where she had said goodbye to him before. Except this time, as she pressed a feather light kiss into his hair as he bent to pull her close she didn’t offer him anything to remember her by, and made him no promises that she’d come back to him. Instead she nodded mutely as he promised he’d call, not sure if she hoped he would or not, and walked out the door climbing into her car and refusing to look back.

Now, as she hurtled down the road towards a big awful unknown Marie decided that in order to leave The Wolverine behind she had to leave Rogue too. Too much of who she had been was wrapped up in him, they’d been a package deal for so long but now it was time for her to find out who she was without him. So instead she’d be Anna Marie again and see just what that meant. The road west was long and the further she got for New York the less she saw as the country opened up around her and the summer sun beat down against the roof of her little car.

As she travelled Marie found herself staying in her fair share of cheap motels and stopping off in a fair few bars when she needed a rest from the road, and somehow every time a bartender called her honey or someone new sat down and asked for a beer she was reminded of him, and how he had been the first person like herself she had ever met. Now she can’t stop meeting mutants, the past few years have changed a lot about the boldness of the community as more and more mutants step into the light and own who they are, just that morning she had run into a group stumbling out of the motel, dare she say it, _flaunting_ their mutations. Mutant and proud.

Marie has never been fond of her mutation, never proud, but now she admits even if only to herself that she had been wrong to ever think it needed curing. After all, would she still be Rogue without it? Would she have ever met Logan? No. Her mutation had caused her years of pain and self-inflicted loneliness, but it had also brought her so much joy and friendship. It had brought her community just as it had shut her out of the one she had once known, but there’s something so sweet about a family you choose for yourself; and that’s really what the X-Men had become, her brothers and sisters.

One evening about a week into her journey, Rogue had checked into a motel for the night before walking down to the little dive bar for something to do until it was a reasonable hour to call it a night. Before ordering a drink however, Marie took quick stock of the bar before her eyes settled on what she was looking for; there, nestled in a dark corner near the back of the bar, was a phone. She contemplated for only a moment before punching the numbers she knew by heart.

“Hello?”

“‘Ro? It’s me.”

“Rogue! It’s so good to hear your voice. How has the open road been treating you?”

Marie could almost hear the smile in Ororo’s voice and it caused a grin to break out across her own face in response.

“It’s been good. I pulled into _Middle of Nowhere_ , America about a half hour ago, probably gonna call it quits for the night.”

Ororo’s laugh crackled along the line, “That good huh? You got a destination in mind yet?”

“Not really, just a vague concept of West. I think I’ll pass into South Dakota tomorrow, might settle somewhere there for awhile while I sort things out in mah head. It’s feeling a little crowded up there since our last mission.”

“I’m sorry honey. You be sure to give us a number once you’re settled somewhere.” There was beat before Storm continued, “He misses you honey, it’s set him off in something of a foul mood since you left.”

“He’ll get over it. There’s plenty of other kids he can protect back there.”

“It’s not the same and you know it.”

“I’ll always have 'im in my head, but I gotta get him outta my heart before I can come back ‘Ro. You know that.”

“I know sweetie, just don’t cut him out completely." A muffled crash could be heard on the other end of the line, "I’m sorry Rogue I have to go, remember to call us again once you’re settled somewhere, and do try to stay out of trouble.”

“No promises. Give everyone my best, I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Bye honey!”

The line went dead and Rogue was left standing in the corner of another dive bar in another city far away from what had become home, all alone. Walking back up to the bar she ordered a drink and settled against the bar listening to but not hearing the ambient sounds of the bar around her.

Not sure how much time had passed since arriving, Rogue eventually stood to go, dropping a bit of cash in the tip jar on her way to the door. Marie was so lost in her thoughts however, that she didn’t notice the man standing just ahead of her as she exited the bar, accidentally bumping into him as she made to walk back to the motel.

“Oh! Sorry sugar, guess mah head’s somewhere else tonight.” As her arm caught his, she was suddenly struck by how familiar his face was, but before she could place him, his eyes lit with recognition and a smile broke out across his, admittedly handsome, face.

“Rogue as I live a breathe! It’s John. Y’know, Pyro? It’s been ages! How are you?”

“John Allerdyce, well it has been awhile.” Rogue offered up a half smile at the man who had once been a classmate of hers, “Still running with the Brotherhood?”

“Nah, needed some room to breathe. I left them about a year ago. What about you? You’re a long way from the mansion.”

“I had to get away for awhile. Things’ve been a little stifling recently.”

John nodded understandingly, “So how is everyone? Bobby ’n Kitty and the rest?”

“They’re good. Bobby is the same as ever, Kitty’s dating Piotr now, has been for about a year actually. Jubes got a job at that breakfast place a town over from the mansion. Everyone’s doing great.”

“What about Wolvie? He still hanging around?”

Marie’s smile felt fake as she answered, “Yeah, ‘Ro actually talked him into teaching. He’s taken over the danger room from Scott.”

“Imagine that, the mighty Wolverine, a teacher.” Pyro scrubbed a hand down his face smile faltering only a little as he seemed to remember Logan once claiming to be a professor of art, that had been the day things changed.

Marie watched him a moment as the silence between them grew, before she asked without prompting, “Do you ever regret it? Leaving.”

“No.” His answer came quick and sure, but the moment it was out he seemed to reconsider, frowning slightly, “Well, I regret parts of it. I miss everyone, because difference of opinion or not, they were my family, but I don’t regret leaving. Not for one second. I had to do it.”

“Me too.”

“Well, how long are you in town for? I’d love to catch up more.”

“At this point I was planning on just passing through. Do you live here?”

John smiled and turned to walk with her towards the motel, “Sometimes. I pass through whenever I’m near enough for it to make sense, of all the motels in this country theirs is somehow less shitty than the others. Where are you headed from here?”

“That seems like a good enough reason to come back through. My trajectory’ll likely send me into South Dakota tomorrow, I thought I might settle up near Pierre for a couple months at least.”

“Pierre’s nice enough, there’s not much around there though. You sure you can stand all that quiet?”

John teasingly nudged her as he spoke, hands thrust deep in the pockets of his leather jacket as he attempted to look nonchalant. Marie grinned falling easily back into step beside him,

“I reckon I could stand a little quiet sugar, especially with you lot all running around up here making life difficult for me.”

As she spoke she tapped her temple, subtly reminding Pyro just who she was.

“Ah yes, the many voices in your head. Do they stick around long term or,” he faltered, “Sorry, I’ve just always wondered.”

“It’s okay.” Rogue studied his profile, his beard was cut tight to his jawline but still enough to be considerably rough, and his nose looked more crooked than she remembered it, it was likely he had broken it at least once since she’d last seen him but she was willing to bet twice. 

“They fade,” She eventually spoke, “But they never really leave. I just learn how to contain them I suppose.” 

His eyes darted over to hers, a sharp blue that seemed to cut right through her, and she realized that they had stopped walking. 

“So, I’m still up there?” As he spoke his hand reached up, one finger ghosting across her temple, never really touching her skin.

Somehow, as he spoke, the walls she had so steadily built around him all those years ago tumbled down and she heard his voice whisper.

“I’m going to kiss you.”

Just as she heard his voice, the John in front of her wrapped his arms steadily around her and she heard herself answer out loud.

“Yes.”


End file.
